Bad keyboard or bad network?

Factual Questions
1

When I arrived at the office yesterday I found that my genuine IBM buckling spring keyboard was missing and had been replaced by one of those keyboards that Dell sends with their computers. There was a note from our part-time IT Fellow saying that my old keyboard was ‘bad’.

I was furious. I love that IBM keyboard. Can’t type on anything else. I use one at our other office and I even bought one for my home computer.

Couldn’t find the IBM keyboard in the office so I phoned the IT fellow and left a message asking what he had done with my keyboard and why it was ‘bad’.

A bit later I happened to look up and there was my IBM keyboard way, way up on a shelf above my desk. Lucky I saw it. The thing weighs a ton and a half and if it had fallen it would have fractured my skull. Did I mention that IT Fellow is not very bright?

Plugged my keyboard in. Works fine all day. ‘Bad’ my foot!

IT Fellow didn’t call me back yesterday. I did kind of yell at him in that message. I was at our other office today. My IBM keyboard there was safe and sound. :slight_smile:

My office manager called me to relay IT Fellow’s message about the ‘bad’ keyboard. Background info first.

In the latest network configuration we have Window XP Professional. I will not get into how much I hate that program.

If I start my computer from a ‘cold start’ the network log-in does not recognize the IBM keyboards ‘control-alt-delete’ key combination. I have to use the generic keyboard then I replace it with the IMB keyboard. If I just "restart " the computer there is no problem with the network log-in with the IBM keyboard. Know problem. I live with it. I have for months.

Here’s IT Fellow reason for taking away the IBM keyboard. He claims there is something wrong with it and it is preventing other people from logging on to their computer, specifically my boss. Don’t know when that problem starting happening or how often.

What? Is this possible? I don’t think this is happening to everyone or I would have heard about it earlier.

Any ideas would be appreciated. I’m still dying to give IT Fellow a piece of my mind.

I’ve orderd a ‘new’ old IBM keyboard for work (I’ll be reimbursed) but this ‘bad’ keyboard thing sounds improbable to me.

2

Nope. Not possible.

3

Thank you for the answer, Joe.

4

No problem. I mean, I can’t even fathom how anyone working in IT could even entertain the idea of the keyboard on one machine affecting other machines. It almost sounds like he was just looking for an excuse that he hoped someone would swallow.

You said that your office manager relayed the info to you, so I’d hazard to guess that the excuse the IT Fellow came up with was designed to make the manager decide that replacing the keyboard was necessary. Otherwise, the Fellow would just look plain dumb.

5

Thank you again. I think my office manager mentioned that IT Fellow said there was a ‘short’ in the keyboard but I was so flabergasted about the idea of a ‘bad’ keyboard preventing anyone else for logging into the network from another computer that I’m not sure I heard right.

I’m thinking of getting his ‘explanation’ in writing to save for posterity.